According to my calendar, I should be flying to Nashville today. But I’m not. Because the RWA National Conference there was cancelled due to the flooding of the Opryland Hotel, where the conference was being held. Once I learned the conference was cancelled and then the venue later changed to Orlando, I decided not to go to Florida. Orlando is about as far away from B.C. as I can travel within North America. Because I live in a town small enough that it doesn’t have an airport, it takes at least three plane changes to reach Orlando. I know, because I’ve done it (DisneyWorld with the fam).
I should be mourning Nashville, and I am, because I really wanted to go. More for personal reasons than conference, I realized when the venue changed because of the flooding. I might have mentioned before that my parents’ love story revolves around Nashville, even though neither of them are American. Basically, my mother and her older sister were sent to Seventh Day Adventist Academy (private high school) in an area of Nashville known as Madison when my grandmother moved to Ontario for a nursing job with the younger children. 
My father, who’s a few years older than my mother, drove down to Nashville and enrolled in college to be near her. She snuck out at night often to see him, eventually she was caught, and, for lack of a better way to put it, she was kicked out. They drove back to Canada, got married, practiced making my older sister, and then had me. They’ve been married for 53 years now.
The school my mother attended is still in Madison. There’s no mistaking the laundry. She worked in the laundry there in the 1950s. Had I gone to Nashville, I would have tried working in a trip to the school. My mother’s stories of the night the headmistress asked her to choose between my father and the school are now family legend.
Yes, those are my parents in the photo. Aren’t they cute?
Seeing as I’m not going to Nashville, I’m going to do my darnedest to attend the RWA Conference in New York City next June. Meanwhile, while RWA members are enjoying Orlando without me, I’m embroiled in a never-ending battle to finish several outside painting jobs before September (the weather has not been conducive to painting this year—it’s either raining or it’s boiling hot) and finishing revisions on a single title. Whenever I start to mourn not attending National, I consider that if I were going the last two weeks would have been consumed with conference preparations while the first half of August would have been consumed with post-conference recovery. Considering I’m approaching a milestone anniversary in early August, yeah, it’s better that I decided not to go. I would have been exhausted during my own romantic celebration.
How about you? Are you not going to conference and wishing you were? Are you going, but haven’t left yet? Are you there and for some reason are so bored you’re reading my blog instead of networking? (Are you nuts?).
I’m sure several writers are blogging or Facebooking or Twittering about National. I’ll get my fix that way. Guaranteed.
Hey Cindy!
I’ll be getting my fix through the blogs, etc., too. I remember having great fun with you and a couple gals in Dallas after one of the meetings. Maybe next year! Meanwhile, I’m working like crazy.
Hugs!
I wasn’t able to go this year, but if I’d planned on it, the venue change would have definitely blown the wind out of my sails, so to speak. It was so sad to see pics of the flooded Opryland.
Love the story about your parents! It’s always nice to hear about a man who will do anything to be with his woman (and vice versa)…kind of reminds me of a romance novel. 🙂
Hi Cindy – lovely story about your parents 🙂 And I LOVE the pic!
I too am missing National this year *sigh* and don’t see myself going to another conference till Anaheim in ’12 as I’ll still be in school next summer. Like you, I’ll follow it on Twitter and FB…
Hi ladies,
At least I won’t be alone in my misery. I’m in the midst of a big summer outdoor painting project, and attending National would have interrupted my flow, which has been interrupted enough by rain and/or blazing heat.
Marian, yes, that was in Dallas following the Chick Lit party. Chris Keach and Kit Frazier were there as well.
Avery, my parents, like any couple has had their ups and downs, but it’s such a super story. My dad even painted his car to please her. He asked what colour she liked, and she said purple. He painted it lilac. That car got a lot of attention but he had to sell it to cross the border again.
Teresa, isn’t that a great pic?
I don’t know if I’ll do Anaheim. It’s in our back yards, so to speak, so is more “restful” than the east coast conferences. My dh and I have another big holiday on the books for 2012, so whether I attend Anaheim will depend on a number of issues – financial (more book sales would help!) and logistically.
I love Disneyland, though, and haven’t been to Knott’s Berry Farm in years. It would be fun to take the kids for one last family hurrah beforehand. Hmmm….
Cindy, that’s a great story! I too was looking forward to Nashville and the fam was going to join me after the conference. Alas, I’m off to Orlando on my own since my husband doesn’t like Florida and didn’t want to do a vacation there. I leave tomorrow morning – early – and stop in St. Louis on the way. Not sure about NY, but will definitely be in Anaheim since it’s about 35 minutes from my house! Will miss you – was looking forward to another sightseeing day with you like in S.F. when we went to the Coit tower and lunched in North Beach…
That was a great day, Carol. I had a lot of fun. Now, come on. NYC? You can get a direct flight from your neck of the woods, right? 😉
Wow, you won’t even have to stay at the conference hotel for Anaheim.
Loved the story about your parents. My mother was 18 when she met my father. He was on a date with one of her friends, and he ditched the girl to take my mother home (not nice I know, but it ended well for me). They were married six months later, before she turned 19. They were together 34 years until his sudden death. Doesn’t make you wonder why we turned into romance writers.
–Gabi
Gabi, it amazes me when people get married so young and yet manage to stay together in this day and age of quickie divorces.
I met my husband when I was 18, but we didn’t marry for several years. Our 25th anniversary is next week.
I’d orignally planned on going to Nashville, but my husband got laid off in Februrary, so decided not to go. Then when it changed to Orlando, was glad I wasn’t going – like you Orlando is much farther from Southern California than Nashville.
And besides, I went to boot camp in Orlando, and lived with my husband in Florida for a few years while he was on active duty — so for me Flordia is too hot, too humid and too many bugs outside and too cold (over air conditioned) inside.
Yes, I am a Southern California weather whimp.
LOL, Terry, I like that, SoCal weather wimp.
I’ve been to Orlando twice. Torrential downpours experienced both times. I prefer California. I guess we’re west coast gals at heart (although I’m a Northern west coast gal).
Great story!
I’m heading off for Orlando in the morning. I skipped D.C. last year, and it just about killed me. I didn’t think I’d miss it as much as I did. Hope you have a great time painting and get lots of work done. I’m in much the same boat at my house: everything half-finished as I try to meet my deadlines, LOL!
I always miss conference when I’m not there, Isobel. But I’ve missed two in a year now (I didn’t go to DC, either). It gets a bit easier. If I attend two in a row, I’m usually ready for a year off but then really miss it. I have a lot happening in my life this summer that will help me not miss the networking so much. Have fun and thanks for dropping by.
Love the story about your parents–sounds like the plot for a really good romance! I’ll be going to Orlando and posting pictures to share. They’ll be on my facebook page, but the link will be public if anyone wants to take a peek. I’ll put the link on the front of my website.
kate
That’ll be great, Kate. I love looking at your conference pictures, be they RWA or PASIC.
I love that picture and your story, Cindy!
I am going–leaving tomorrow morning–still in crazed pre-conference mode. And hoping to keep “seeing” you on-line! I will have a laptop!
What a fabulous love story, Cindy. I was bummed when it moved from Nashville, too. Mostly because I’ve never been and don’t really expect I’ll be motivated to go without the conference.
I am going to Orlando, though, and you’re so right about Nationals. It’s a minimum 3 week commitment. One to get ready, (even if that one week of effort might be spread over a few), one there, and then one to recover.
Starting to get excited, though. And finally packing… Flight in early AM.
Florida was actually easier to fly to for me (lots of direct flights) vs Nashville which was going to be expensive on a direct flight. I was planning to drive to Nashville to save money…
Tina, I’ll expect you to be conference-distracted so I can trounce you in Scrabble. Crossing my fingers for a RITA win!!!
Thanks, Maureen. Nashville isn’t a picnic to get to from my area of B.C., either, but because I’ve been to Orlando twice and because of my parents’ love story, I’d definitely go to Nashville should the conference ever try there again.
Don’t talk to me about direct flights! The only direct flights I’ve ever caught from our “local” airport (in the next town) are to Mexico. They are dreamy! Five hours on a plane without one single change.
NYC flights aren’t bad, though. In 2003, I could fly direct to Toronto without going through Vancouver or Calgary, and then catch a flight from TO to NYC. From my area of the world, that’s as close to “direct” as I usually get.
Have a great conference, Maureen!
Hey Cindy…I am missing the conference and I live here! 45 minutes from Orlando, so I could have saved the air ticket and hotel. Even so, I could not afford the conference fee because of unexpected medical bills that I had to pay out of pocket. Oh well, I hope to go next year… At least I get to drive over to meet my agent, Helen Breitwieser, on Sunday. We’ve only talked on the phone.
Hi Stephie,
Man, that sucks. Im sorry. Good that you’re driving to meet your agent, though. Have a great meeting!
Maybe I’ll see you next June in NYC. It would be nice to finally meet face to face.